Standard and knee connection for milling and other machines.



L BECKER. STANDARD AND KNEE CONNECTION FOR MILLING AND OTHER MACHINES.

' APPLICATION FILED APR.21.1910.

1&25326. Patented May 8,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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.I. BECKER. v STANDARD AND KNEE CONNECTION FOR MILLING AND OTHER MACHINES.

- APPLICA N FILED APR 21 I910 1,225,726 Patented May 8, 1917.

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Patented May ilwft.

Application filed April at, taro. serial no. teens.

To all whom-it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN BECKER, a citizen of the United States, and a'resident of Hyde Park, in the count of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Standard and Knee Connections for Milling and'other Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings re resenting like parts.

his invention relates to milling and other machines and, among other objects, aims to provide an improved protected, adjustable connection illustrated herein for coupling the sliding knee to the base of a milling machine.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention I have here illustrated it in connection with a typical vertical milling machine, although it is to be understood that I have so disclosed my invention for illustrative purposes merely, the invention itself being up licable to a variety of other machines.

he character of the invention may be best understood by reference to the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a vertical milling machine illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale, shows the front of the machine base with the knee removed;

4 Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale; shows, partly in section and part1 in elevation, the means for securing one o the knee guides to the base; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 44 of Fig. 2. r

In the drawings, referring first to Fig. 1, the milling machine shown-herein is employed merely as typifying any machine oruse to which my invention is adapted, said machine in the present instance com rising a base or standard 1 being provide at or near its 11 per end with an overhanging arm 3 in uhic is mounted a usual vertical s indie 5 to which the tool is secured. -1e

work sup ort or table is indicated at 7 and is adapte to slide on the table base 9 carriod by the vertically adjustable knee 11.

One of the important ieatures of my present invention has special reference to the are, assisting; so see ante connection of this lmee to the machine base.

Heretofore, the knee has been guided in its vertical adljlustment by a dovetailed guide pro ection aving edges extending laterally eyond the adjacent side faces of the machine standard. To adjustably connect the knee to this ide projection said knee has been PIOVldfid with lateral ears bulging outward d cvetailed guide. This has been found to he a disadvantageous construction for a variety of reasons. Among others, portions of the outwardly extending edges ofsaid dovetailed guide are alwa s exposed, in every position of vertical ad ustment of said hes, and therefore are liable to become chipped or mutilated, thereby destroyin the accuracy of the sliding ad ustment oi the "do. Furthermore, the outwardly proectmg guide ears on the knee, present an awkward, cumbersome and unsightly construction.

My invention aims to overcome the above and other objections by a construction which 1 will now describe. Referring more particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the face of the standard 1 is provided with a vertical groove 14 (Fig.2) dovetail in section (Fig. 4) and formed by owosed guides 15 having inturned edges. ithin this dovetailed groove is received a similarly shaped or beyond and embracing the eds of.

dovetailed portion or projection 17 on the rear face of the knee 11.

The guides 15 being turned in toward one another are not exposed to knocks and mu tilation, but on the contrary, are always protected from injury. The guide edges of the dovetailed pro'ection 17 on the knee project outwardly, ut they are always inclcsed within the groove 14 and hence are never exposed to mutilation.

to, one of the latter preferably. is not made integral with the standard 13, but 'is separable therefrom and may be readily attached and adjusted relatively thereto. To this end said guide is provided with a shank or attaching portion-18 adapted to be set into a correspondingly shaped recess in said standard. To contribute to the guiding and positioning of said guide shank in saidrecess said guide is provided with a flange 19 projecting into a corresponding groove 21 in said recess. To initially position said guide shank 18 in said recess, herein upper, lower and intermediate screws 23 (Figs. 3 and 4) are loosely entered through the shank 18 and threaded into a bearing flange 24 (Fig. 4) projecting from said standard. 1n the spaces intervening between said positioning screws and in line with the latter are what may be termed gage screws 25 threaded into said shank l8 ,and provided with reduced blunt ends 26 which are adapted to press against the face of the bearing flange 24 to force the guide 15 outwardly as more fully hereinafter described. Between the gage screws are clamping screws 27 entered loosely through said shank and threaded into said bearing flange 24.

In adjusting the guide to take up wear or in clamping said guide against the knee to securely retain the latter in its position of adjustment, the gage screws 25 are first adjusted with respect to said bearing flange 24 to press or separate the guide the de sired distance from the latter. The positioning screws 23 are then given an easy set to maintain the engagement of said gage screws with said bearing flange 24 and then the clamping screws 27 are tightened thereby pressing said gage screws against said flange to clamp and securely retain the guide in its adjusted position.

By this construction the guide may be readily positioned with any desired nicety of adjustment to furnish an accurate sliding fit for the knee and when the latter is adjusted to the desired height it.will be securely retained in position.

To remove the knee from the standard it is merely necessary to unscrew the .screws 23 and 27.

In milling and similar machines it is of the greatest importance'that the work supporting knee be held to the base with great rigidity, since any vibration of the knee will be transmitted through the base to the spindle arm and spindle, causing the tool to vibrate and chatter. As a result the cutting edge of the tool is dulled or mutilated with consequent poor work. The lack of rigidity hitherto encountered has been due to the spring or yield necessarily present in the thin shank of the previously used, outwardly bulged ears or lateral extensions referred to. By my construction there are no lateral extensions but, on the contrary, the dovetailed guide portions are entirely contained within the body of the knee and base thereby providing a connect on of great rigidity. The adjustable guide referred to contributes to this rigidity. The interlocking of the guide shank 18 with the shoulder or hearing flange 24 efl'cctually resists any tendency of said guide to spread from the opposite fixed guide. The guide ad justing screws enter directly into the body .of the base through the rigid shank of the guide thereby securing said guide to said base with great rigidity and strength and at the same time permit a ready ad ustment of said guide to take up wear or clamp the knee to the base as desired.

Having described one embodiment of my invention, without limiting myself thereto, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of an upright standard 1 with a knee 11 having a dove-tail projection 17 thereon, a guide member 15, said standard and member being formed to present a dove-tail groove, and means 23 to press said member against said projection to secure said knee to said standard in different positions of adjustment.

2. The combinationof an upright standard having a dove-tail groove in a face thereof with a knee vertically adjustable relatively to said standard and having a rectilinear dove-tail projection fitting in said groove, the latter'having a clamp member set in a recess in said standard; and means adjustable to connect said clamp member to said standard for securing said knee to the latter in different positions of vertical adjustment, the vertical outer faces of said knee and standard at one side of the knee being in the same plane, and the corresponding opposite faces of said knee and standard being in the same plane, said clamp member presenting an external surface substantially flush with one of said planes.

3. The combination of an upright standard having a dove-tail groove in a face thereof, with a knee vertically adjustable relatively to said standard and having a rectilinear dove-tail projection fitting in said groove, the latter having a guide member seated in an external recess in said standard, said guide member and recess being formed to present shoulders for preventing movement of said member in one direction; and adjustable means for securing said member against movement in a different direction for clamping said knee in different positions of vertical adjustment.

4. The combination of an upright standard having a dove-tail groove in a face thereof, with a knee vertically adjustable relatively to said standard and having a rectilinear dove tail projection fitting in said groove, the latter having a guide member seated in an external recess in said standard; and means detachable to connect said guide member to said standard and having provision for clamping the knee thereto.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support having guides projecting therefrom; an adjustable member having guides cooperating therewith; gage screws threaded into one of said guides and adapted to bear against said support; and screws loosely entered through said guide and threaded into said support for clamping said guide thereto.

6. The combination of an upright standard 1 with a knee 11 having a dove-tail projection 17 thereon, said standard having guide members formed to present a dovetail groove between them receiving said projection, one of said members being rigid with said standard and the other of said members being separate from said standard, and means 23 adjustably to connect said separate member to said standard and having provision for securing said knee in different positions of adjustment.

7. The combination of an upright standard with a knee, one having a dove-tail groove in a face thereof and the other having a dove-tail projection fitting said groove, and means for securing said knee to said standard including a recess in said knee and standard, and a guide member seated in said recess and overlapping said knee and standard.

8. The combination of a standard 1 with a knee 11, one having a groove in a face thereof and the other having a projection with a sliding fit in said groove, an external guide member 15 overlapping portions of said knee and standard, and means 23 cooperating with said guide member to secure said knee to said standard.

9. The combination of a standard 1 with a knee 11, one provided with wedge-shaped guide members 15 having a dove-tail groove therebetween, and the other having a. dovetail projection 17 having a sliding fit with said groove, and adjustable means to press one of said members toward said projection to secure said knee to said standard in different. positions of adjustment.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN BECKER.

Witnesses:

HENRY T. WILLIAMS, ROBERT H. KAMMLER. 

